Head for the Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia, a big showy square with all the pomp and splendour of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire. Then I move on to the Old City, full of winding little streets dating back to Roman times.

WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO STAY?

The Grand Hotel Duchi d'Aosta (0039 040 760 0011; www.duchi.eu; doubles from €188/£169). It's a small hotel, but it has an excellent location and a pool in the basement built around Roman ruins.

WHERE WOULD YOU MEET FRIENDS FOR A DRINK?

I like Harry's Bar in the Grand Hotel Duchi d'Aosta. It's very discreet, with an Austro-Hungarian feel and you can sit there and watch people courting or doing business at the corner tables.

WHICH IS THE BEST PLACE FOR LUNCH?

There are some wonderful old Habsburg coffee shops – where you can also have a bit of lunch.

Among the finest is Caffè degli Specchi (040 365777; www.caffespecchi.it) – the Café of Mirrors – on Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia. This is where James Joyce and many other literary men would sit, drink coffee and argue as they looked out over the bay.

AND FOR DINNER?

I like Harry's Grill at the Grand Hotel, one of the best restaurants in town. The food is magnificent and it has a wonderful setting overlooking Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia.

WHERE WOULD YOU SEND A FIRST-TIME VISITOR? Head for the castle, and the Cathedral of San Giusto, one of the oldest parts of Trieste, on the hill above the port. It's steeped in history and has wonderful views across the city to the Adriatic.

WHAT SHOULD I AVOID?

The area around Piazza Garibaldi is rather rundown and bleak, and is full of second-hand shops, car workshops and little drinking places. Trieste is a very safe city, but this isn't the most glamorous part of town – unless you're devising a plot.

WHAT SHOULD I BRING HOME?

The local Carso wine is Terrano. Dark red and fruity, it goes perfectly with meat and cheese dishes – both in Trieste and back home.

ANYWHERE THAT ISN'T YOUR KIND OF TOWN?

Ho Chi Minh City, because it completely lacks the rich character and charm of the rest of Vietnam, including Hanoi. It could be anywhere.

'Old Enemies' by Michael Dobbs is published by Simon & Schuster (£19.99)

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